Winter has gone on long enough for most of us, and I am thankful that daylight is now making its tentative return. Right now the remains of the last snowstorm have kept many of my slumbering plants under a white blanket. Despite that, I am starting to feel the seasonal urge to get out and … Read more
In the realm of dreams, goals and visions, the idea of scattering annual poppy seeds on snow is probably not very high on anyone’s list. But I have never managed to do it, so it has remained a gardening goal for years now. Some years I have had seeds but no snow. Some years I … Read more
In my part of the world, snow is on the menu for today, and the first few flakes of an expected four to six inch accumulation are swirling down from above. In the house, a couple of last year’s amaryllis plants are flowering, in the company of a reblooming kalanchoe. The blue butterfly bush, Clerodendron … Read more
I have been enchanted by Clivia miniata, which usually just goes by “clivia”, or sometimes “fire lily”, for a long time. A few years ago, I succumbed and bought a clivia from a vendor at the Philadelphia Flower show. I brought it home, put it in a choice location beside the other house plants on … Read more
Now that the holidays have passed, the scents of fir and pine are behind us and a long winter of indoor living is still ahead. If you are lucky, the winter smells in your house include the aromas of delicious things in the oven and wood burning in the fireplace. If you are less lucky, … Read more
